The present invention pertains utility carts and in particular utility carts that would be used by workers setting up large tents for garden parties, wedding receptions and the like.
Large tents are used for outdoor functions to protect attendees at such functions from the sun, or in the case of inclement weather. Such tents are usually very large and require, in addition to the material itself, tent poles, side poles, ropes, tent stakes and the like. It is also common for the person putting up the tent to supply tables, chairs and other accessories for use inside the tent for the purposes of the function to be carried out inside the tent. All the material for the tent and the fixtures inside the tent must generally be carted from a truck to the location where the tent is being erected. Persons in this business usually have utility carts for transfer of the tent and related equipment. Such carts can be moved by a motor vehicle or by hand depending upon the size of the cart.
Most large tents are of the type that have a canopy or roof that is supported along a ridge or a longitudinal axis by tent poles. The roof extends outwardly from the tent poles to side poles, which support the peripheral edges of the tent above the ground at a convenient height. Side curtains can be attached to the roof of the tent at the peripheral edge to enclose the tent leaving only one or more entrances and exits to the tent as is well known in the art.
The present invention combines a utility cart for moving equipment such as that used by persons who erect tents with a vertical lifting device to enable the user to employ the cart to help lift the sides of the tents, once the main tent poles have been erected.
Therefore, the present invention is a combined trailerable cart and lifting device comprising: a generally rectangular frame having a front and back end; a tongue on the front end of the frame, the tongue adapted to receive and support one of a hitch mechanism or an elongated structural member; a generally rectangular, the support member removably positioned on a top side of the back end of the frame, said rectangular support having a width proximate the width of the frame and a length proximate one-half as long as the frame; an axle fixed to an underside of the frame, the axle supporting a pair of wheels to facilitate movement of the cart; and a removable vertical support having a first end adapted to be held by the tongue, the support including a cable assembly with a lifting hook, the hook and cable adapted to perform as a lifting device when the cart is positioned so that the tongue is in a vertical position.